Just Another Handoff

For Tom and Kelly Dorman of North Richland Hills, football is a family affair. When their two sons, Tommy and Josh, were still in diapers, Tom Sr. put a football in each of their hands and life hasn't been the same since. Today, both brothers are busy building impressive football resumes that extend well beyond the pee-wee fields. Older brother Tommy is the reigning MVP of district 6-4A after quarterbacking the Birdville Hawks to three consecutive winning seasons and earning a scholarship to Texas A&M, where he is considered by many to be the heir-apparent quarterback. He left the Birdville program in good hands, however - those of his brother Josh, a junior. For Josh and Tommy, this is just one of a thousand handoffs that have taken place over the years. "Growing up we spent hours and hours in the backyard playing football," said Tommy. "When football season came around that's really all we did." Their passion for football led the young brothers to create countless impromptu practice sessions, often to the chagrin of their parents. At the Dorman home, trash cans became open receivers. Wheelbarrows were lineman. Potted plants... target practice. No object was safe. "They broke a lot of flower pots," remembers Kelly with an exhausted laugh. "Yeah," laughed Tommy, "Mom was never too happy about that." But trash cans in the backyard eventually gave way to a more sophisticated training regimen. Film study, weight rooms and wind sprints became a way of life for both Josh and Tommy. When most high school students were sleeping late during summer break, the Dorman brothers were up every day at seven to run bleachers and throw passing routes together at the stadium. Such commitment has helped develop a relatively young football program into a district power and has led to what will likely be five consecutive years of Dormans under center for the Hawks - a fact that is not lost on Head Coach Jim Skinner. "These are two guys that we can really hang our hat on," said Skinner. "They both have tremendous work ethic both on and off the football field. That's really what makes the difference for them." Now at Texas A&M, Tommy is focused on leading the Aggies in the near future. But despite the 200 miles between them, Josh and Tommy have stayed extremely close. "We at least text each other every day," said Josh. "We have a great relationship and we know that not all brothers are this close." Even as Tommy prepares to face the Longhorns, Sooners and Bears, his thoughts remain with Josh and the Birdville Hawks. Friday nights are spent hovering over his laptop listening to the Birdville play-by-play and nervously text messaging with Tom Sr. At Tommy's request, each game is then burned to DVD for his review. Josh and Tommy are focused on leading their current teams, but both have aspirations to play at the next level. Josh dreams of following his brother into Division I college football, while Tommy has his sights set squarely on the NFL. What began in the backyard and on football fields throughout Tarrant County could one day lead to showdowns on the sport's greatest stage. So are Tommy and Josh the next Peyton and Eli? Coach Skinner, who has seen several of his players achieve NFL stardom, wouldn't be surprised. "They have that same drive that the elite players have. I run across kids all the time that have ability but don't have that drive. That's what sets these guys apart. They've got a long way to go but nothing would surprise me." -